Heart of an Assassin
by Redi Chalyn
Summary: Thane Krios, an enigmatic Drell assassin, is put in a strange position when his lover Kyra Shepard catches a cold and he is the one to care for her. Shrios.
1. Chapter 1

_HEPCHOO!_

Kyra Shepard groaned and rubbed the bridge of her nose, her eyes closed in an attempt to banish the all too bright lights. With all the advancements humanity had accomplished, one would think that they could have found the cure for the common cold by now but no, and they weren't likely to with everything else going on. She shook her head and stood back from the sink, looking at herself in the mirror. She looked somewhat presentable, so continued with her original plan to visit Thane to be sure his injuries from the last mission had healed properly, which was obviously a ruse since it was well known that Dr. Chakwas was the best doctor they could have on board. She smoothed her shirt and exited the ladies' room, going to the Life Support room. She sniffed as the doors slid open, putting on a smile and going in to see the enigmatic Drell.

Thane made no move to acknowledge her presence, his hands remaining folded from his meditations. "Do you need something?" His voice struck the same chord it always did, the Kepral's Syndrome making his voice even more gravelly than it already was from his sub harmonics.

Kyra looked down at her would-be lover. "Have a few minutes to talk?"

"You needn't ask," Thane turned to face her for the first time, "Time for me is short, Siha, but any I have is yours to take."

Kyra sat down across the table from Thane, their hands meeting and folding over one another. "You took a few good hits back there. How are you feeling?"

Thane smiled softly, looking into Kyra's lavender eyes. "No worse than ever, thanks to Dr. Chakwas. You needn't worry." He leaned forward slightly, studying the human he'd come to care for. "And you? You are well?"

Kyra gave a slight, hopefully convincing nod. "No need to worry about me. How are you holding up with all this?"

Thane seemed unconvinced but didn't pry, hearing the subtle difference in Kyra's voice and seeing the flush to her cheeks. "I am looking forward to the end of the mission. It has been many years since I felt I could relax."

Kyra found herself zoning out partially as he told her he wished to see a desert, only coming back to reality when she realized he'd stopped talking and was looking at her inquisitively. "Sorry, I was just thinking. This mission, the war no one seems to admit...how is it that I'm the one who's expected to pull off a miracle?"

Thane caressed her hand gently. "You are a true siha, a warrior angel who is fierce in wrath and a tenacious protector. Great things are expected of great people."

Kyra nodded her understanding, suppressing a cough. She stood from the table, Thane rising to see her off. She went to the elevator and went straight to her cabin rather than visiting with her other friends. Once inside, she quickly pulled the barrettes out of her dark brown hair and changed into something more comfortable and less formal, namely her sweats. She sat on the couch and picked up a datapad, reading it for a bit before dozing off and slumping into a fetal position on the couch cushions, the datapad balancing on the floor in her fingertips.

How long she was in that position he didn't know, but Thane entered Kyra's cabin after considering it for a time and deciding to see his siha again to verify what had been bothering her. He knew something was wrong when the doors slid open and he didn't hear or see her. When he stepped in, he saw a bit of grey fabric that looked like her shirt, something she'd called a hoodie. Upon closer inspection, he saw that she was laying on the couch, asleep. Thane watched her for a moment, noticing the redness of her nose in stark contrast to how pale she seemed, even compared to her fair skin. Confirming what he'd figured out, Kyra coughed in her sleep. The harsh sound pulled at him deep inside, and he impulsively laid a hand on her forehead. Kyra stirred slightly, sniffing and moving her hand just enough so the datapad slipped from her fingers, landing fully on the floor. The sound would normally have woken her, but didn't. Thane gently slid his arms underneath her body and lifted her from the couch, carrying her to the bed and tucking her underneath the covers.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning, Kyra woke up to find a steaming mug of tea sitting on her night stand, the aroma suspiciously similar to Thane's usual blend. She groaned as she rolled over, propping herself up on an elbow to take a sip. She nearly jumped when she felt a cool hand on her back, then realized Thane was with her. She sighed, closing her eyes. "I don't remember inviting you up here, Krios."

"You didn't," Thane said simply, sitting on the bed as Kyra moved to make it easier, "I took the liberty of strengthening the firewalls on your lock so it would not be so easy to create a bypass."

Kyra grunted and sipped the tea, relief flooding her aching throat. "You can't imagine how relieved I am to have an assassin messing with the lock on my door." Her sarcasm and sharpness weren't intentional, and she inwardly flinched at the sound of her voice.

Thane simply looked at her. "I apologize then, for intruding." He got up to leave.

Kyra reached out for him. "Thane-" she broke off coughing, muffling the sound with her blanket. Thane returned to her side in an instant, rubbing her back gently until the fit passed. When she could breathe, "I'm sorry. I should thank you, but I'm just insulting."

Thane shook his head, touching her cheek gently. "You are ill, Siha. It is understood."

Kyra shook her head. "It's just a cold, I'll be fine." She looked at her clock, shocked by the time. "I need to get dressed, I should have been up hours ago." She got up and hurried to find her official clothes, stumbling with dizziness. Thane simply walked to her and took her arm silently. "Thane, not now I need to-"

Thane twisted her arms gently behind her back, incapacitating her with ease. "You need to lie down, Shepard. You are unwell, the others will understand."

"Thane, I'm fi-" Kyra was cut short as a sneeze issued forth, staggering her. Thane wrapped his arms around her gently, kissing her neck. Kyra sniffed miserably. "The collecters aren't going to wait for me to feel a hundred before they abduct another colony."

"Perhaps, but they would doubtless seize the opportunity to take advantage of your weakened state should we encounter them." Thane gently guided Kyra back to her bed.

Kyra sighed in defeat, admitting silently that her Drell lover was right and she should sleep. Thane handed her the mug of tea and watched silently as she drank, smiling inwardly that it was helping her as much as it helped him. He gently took the mug from her as she began to drift back to sleep.

An hour or so later, EDI popped up at the doorway to Kyra's cabin. "Shepard, the Illusive Man would like to speak to you in the debriefing room." Kyra groaned and sat up, rubbing her head. "Are you well, Commander?"

"Yeah, just fine as wine. I'll be right down." Kyra swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood, going to the bathroom to splash some water on her face and pin her hair back. Thane watched as she quickly put on her official clothing and left. In the debriefing room, Kyra stood ready and watched the Illusive Man appear before her, standing straight.

"Shepard, I'm led to believe you have decided to take the day off. Any particular reason?" The Illusive Man took a drag from his cigarette, looking at Kyra coldly.

"Some of my team is still recovering from that last mission. The rest are stressed and in need of a break before they're pushed too far." Kyra did her best to suppress a cough.

"I see. So this little vacation has nothing to do with your, interesting, relationship with Mr. Krios."

Kyra stiffened, but refused to show anger at being spied on. "No, and my personal business is just that, as I thought was made clear."

"When your personal business affects the mission, it becomes my business. Your job is to stop the collectors, Shepard, not to dally with a Drell assassin."

Kyra was about to say something but, perhaps for the better, she was distracted by stifling a sneeze. She cleared her throat. "If my actions were endangering the mission, then there would be no actions. As it stands, however, my crew is pushed to the limit."

The Illusive Man simply took another drag, analyzing Kyra. "Or perhaps it is you who are pushed to the limit. Perhaps command should be passed to Miss Lawson until you are more able to perform."

Kyra let out a wry laugh. "If you thought Miranda could lead a team through hell then you wouldn't have brought me back."

The Illusive Man flicked his ashes into an ashtray, exhaling smoke. "See to it then that you do lead. Shepard." He clicked a button and Kyra found herself staring at the wall of the debriefing room. She coughed hard into her elbow, leaning her other arm against the table for support. She cursed under her breath and turned around to see Miranda standing in the doorway.

"Sorry to tell you Miranda, but command hasn't been shifted in your favor." Kyra walked past her.

Miranda turned and followed. "The mission comes first, Commander. The collectors are more important than-"

Kyra stopped and whirled around. "Than what? My 'interesting relationship' with Thane? That's none of your damned business."

"You need to know how to put priorities first, Shepard. This mission is too important for distractions."

"You know what, Miranda?" Kyra stifled a sneeze, unable to finish. Miranda rolled her eyes and walked off, Kyra leaning against the cold wall for a moment. She stood from it and went through the armory to the CIC, usually going through the tech labs but wanting to avoid Mordin right now, not interested in a medical discussion. She went to the elevator and went back to her cabin, going straight to her bathroom and changing back into her sweats, then to her bed to promptly collapse on it.


End file.
